Rich drivers are jerks, study says

Upper-class participants in a new study were found to be more likely to engage in unethical behavior, cheat and cut people off while driving. (Jason Henry/The Chronicle)

Rich people are more likely to be rude drivers, in addition to being more prone to lie and cheat than non-rich people, a UC Berkeley study found.

UC researchers found that wealthy people tend to endorse and even engage in unethical behavior, like selfish driving, cheating a new employee out of higher pay or stealing candy from children. The report was published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The report’s findings suggest a psychological explanation to buttress the accusation of the Occupy movement that the country is divided between a greedy, corrupt 1 percent and the rest of us.

“Americans view class conflict as one of the most pressing issues at play today,” said Paul Piff, a doctoral student in psychology and lead author of the study. “It’s of great interest and relevance to things that are unfolding right now.”

Researchers conducted two field experiments in in Berkeley and tracked more than 400 cars’ behavior at a four-way intersection and at a crosswalk. The first study found that drivers in more expensive cars — newer models of luxury brands in good condition — were four times more likely to cut off other drivers at four-way intersections than drivers in cars that were cheaper, older or more beat-up. The second study found that drivers in more expensive cars were three times more likely at a crosswalk to cut off a pedestrian trained to participate in the study.

The rich weren’t any better behaved when they left their fancy cars, the study said. Lab experiments looked at more than 600 participants who self-reported their wealth.

Given the choice of taking one piece of candy or two from a jar meant for children, wealthy study participants were more likely to take two than people who weren’t rich.

What’s more, well-off people were more likely to withhold relevant information when role playing as an employer negotiating a salary with a new employee. They were also more likely to cheat in a dice-rolling game in which players reported their own scores.

One intriguing finding of the study: Poor participants were just as likely to behave unethically as the rich if they were made to feel wealthy.

“That study suggests there’s no innate or fixed differences between people of different backgrounds,” Piff said. Instead, it seems that people’s surroundings and financial situations can greatly affect their behavior, he said.